F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 1000.
Green Heron
What do you call an alligator in a vest?
An Investigator
Interesting Fact: Like many herons, the Green Heron tends to wander outside of its breeding range after the nesting season is over. Most of the wanderers stay nearby as they search for good feeding habitat, but some travel long distances. Individuals have turned up as far away as England and France. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Green_Heron/lifehistory )
F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 320.
Northern Mockingbird
Why don’t witches like to ride their brooms when they’re angry?
They’re afraid of flying off the handle!
Interesting Fact: The Northern Mockingbird frequently gives a “wing flash” display, where it half or fully opens its wings in jerky intermediate steps, showing off the big white patches. No one knows why it does this, but it may startle insects, making them easier to catch. On the other hand, it doesn’t often seem to be successful, and different mockingbird species do this same display even though they don’t have white wing patches. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Mockingbird/lifehistory )
F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 400.
Domestic Geese in Wild
Which two letters in the alphabet are always jealous?
NV.
Interesting Fact: In Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia, the original domesticated geese are derived from the greylag goose Anser anser. In eastern Asia, the original domesticated geese are derived from the swan goose Anser cygnoides; these are commonly known as Chinese geese. Both have been widely introduced in more recent times, and modern flocks in both areas (and elsewhere, such as Australia and North America) may consist of either species, and/or hybrids between them. Chinese geese may be readily distinguished from European geese by the large knob at the base of the bill, though hybrids may exhibit every degree of variation between them. ( https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domestic_goose )
F/6.3, 1/ 160, ISO 320.
Chipping Sparrow
How do farmers party?
They turnip the beets.
Interesting Fact: The early naturalists had a gift for description you just don’t see anymore. In 1929, Edward Forbush called the Chipping Sparrow “the little brown-capped pensioner of the dooryard and lawn, that comes about farmhouse doors to glean crumbs shaken from the tablecloth by thrifty housewives.” ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Chipping_Sparrow/lifehistory )
F/10.0, 1/400, ISO 250.
Song Sparrow
Where do polar bears vote?
The North Poll.
Interesting Fact: The Song Sparrow is found throughout most of North America, but the birds of different areas can look surprisingly different. Song Sparrows of the Desert Southwest are pale, while those in the Pacific Northwest are dark and heavily streaked. Song Sparrows of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands chain are even darker, and they’re huge: one-third longer than the eastern birds, and weighing twice as much. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Song_Sparrow/lifehistory )
F/5.6, 1/500, ISO 320.
Least Sandpiper
A termite walks into a bar and says, “Where is the bar tender?”
Interesting Fact: The Least Sandpiper is the smallest shorebird in the world, weighing in at about 1 ounce and measuring 5-6 inches long. Males are slightly smaller than females. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Least_Sandpiper/lifehistory )
F/11.0, 1/500, ISO 250.
European Starling
What’s the difference between a guitar and a fish?
You can’t tuna fish.
Interesting Fact: Starlings turn from spotted and white to glossy and dark each year without shedding their feathers. The new feathers they grow in fall have bold white tips – that’s what gives them their spots. By spring, these tips have worn away, and the rest of the feather is dark and iridescent brown. It’s an unusual changing act that scientists term “wear molt.” ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/European_Starling/lifehistory )
F/13.0, 1/640, ISO 200.
Eastern Phoebe
What happens if you eat yeast and shoe polish?
Every morning you’ll rise and shine!
Interesting Fact: In 1804, the Eastern Phoebe became the first banded bird in North America. John James Audubon attached silvered thread to an Eastern Phoebe’s leg to track its return in successive years. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eastern_Phoebe/lifehistory )
F/6.3, 1/100, ISO 250.
Wild Turkey
What did the lawyer name his daughter?
Sue.
Interesting Fact: The English name of the bird may be a holdover from early shipping routes that passed through the country of Turkey on their way to delivering the birds to European markets. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wild_Turkey/lifehistory )
F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 250.
Green Heron
What is the difference between a cat and a dog?
Dogs think, “Humans are benevolent, they feed me and take care of me, so they must be Gods.”
Cats think, “Humans are benevolent, they feed me and take care of me, so I must be God.”
Interesting Fact: The Green Heron is part of a complex of small herons that sometimes are considered one species. When lumped, they are called Green-backed Heron. When split, they are the Green Heron, the widespread Striated Heron, and the Galapagos Heron. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Green_Heron/lifehistory )
Through Open Lens 